Resurgence of Lesser Prairie Chicken Listing Issue

The listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken as an endangered species may come to an end with President Trump's administration.

"The Obama administration's unlawful attempt to list the lesser prairie chicken as an endangered species was not based on sound science," said Scott Pruitt, then Oklahoma's attorney general, in May 2016. "But a hastily put-together effort by federal agencies, colluding with environmental groups, to engage in sue-and-settle tactics designed to stifle oil and gas exploration in Oklahoma and other states."

The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in February. Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times in his time as Oklahoma attorney general, specifically for the sue-and-settle tactics and he also fought against federal overreach.

In summer 2015, the lesser prairie chicken changed how Victory Electric did business. We had to adapt our summer hours and ensure we didn't disturb lek areas, the areas defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWA) as breeding grounds.

Light was visible at the end of the tunnel in Sept. 2015 when Texas won their case against FWA.

Since then, FWA and EPA have fought to list the bird as an endangered species. Currently, the bird is still not listed as endangered and cooperatives seem to be on the winning side.

Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives is a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states that provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve their members. By working together, Touchstone Energy cooperatives stand as a source of power and information to their 32 million member-owners every day.